Feast of Love

DVD review by guest reviewer The Borg Queen

Feast of Love (C+). This is an independent film based on a Charles Baxter novel of the same name and was directed by Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer). This ensemble piece is set in Oregon and is basically a commentation on love in its various incantations--friendship, father-son, father-daughter, husband-wife, brother-sister, and married man-mistress. There is also a homosexual relationship between two women, played by Selma Blair (Cruel Intentions) and Stana Katic (Quantum of Solace). The two main characters are Harry Stevenson (Morgan Freeman), a professor on leave after his son's death, and Bradley Smith (Greg Kinnear), a good-natured coffee-shop owner seeking a relationship where his love can be returned. Morgan Freeman, who is a confidant to many of the characters in the movie, narrates at times about love and its effect on people. This is a thought-provoking movie that tends to linger in your thoughts after it's over. Although it dragged in the middle, I thought it was a charming movie honest to reality with interwoven themes of spirituality. I would have given this movie a higher grade, but I dinged it for some unnecessary and graphic nudity (i.e., don't watch this with kids). The movie also stars Radha Mitchell (Henry Poole Is Here), Jane Alexander (Kramer vs. Kramer), Billy Burke (Ladder 49), Alexa Davalos (The Mist), and Toby Hemingway (The Covenant).